Sorting method and apparatus for breaking up forage plants, particularly alfalfa, into their components and product obtainable therewith

(19)

(11)

EP 1 331 045 A3

(12)	EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88)	Date of publication A3:
	27.10.2004 Bulletin 2004/44

(43)	Date of publication A2:
	30.07.2003 Bulletin 2003/31

(21)	Application number: 02028046.7

(22)	Date of filing: 16.12.2002

(51)	International Patent Classification (IPC)⁷: B07B 4/02, A23N 17/00

(84)	Designated Contracting States:
	AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE SI SK TR
	Designated Extension States:
	AL LT LV MK RO

(30)

Priority:

14.12.2001 IT MI20012651

(71)	Applicant: Alfagreen S.r.l.
	30123 Venezia (IT)

(72)	Inventor:
	Manzolli, Giuseppe Imo 30123 Venezia (IT)

(74)	Representative: Modiano, Guido, Dr.-Ing. et al
	Modiano & Associati SpA Via Meravigli, 16 20123 Milano 20123 Milano (IT)

(54)	Sorting method and apparatus for breaking up forage plants, particularly alfalfa, into their components and product obtainable therewith

(57) The present invention relates to a sorting method and apparatus for breaking up forage plants, particularly alfalfa, into their component parts, and a product for zootechnical feeding that can be obtained with the method, the method comprising a step of calibrated shredding of the forage plants in order to divide the forage plants into fragments of preset length, which are substantially composed of a component part (stalks or leaves) of the plants or two or more component parts of the plants (stalks and leaves). These fragments are then subjected to a first step of pneumatic sorting in order to break them up into separate sorting fractions that differ according to their grammage. At least one of the sorting fractions produced by the first sorting step and containing fragments that have an intermediate grammage as well as fragments that have grammages other than the intermediate grammage is subjected to a second pneumatic sorting step in order to break up the sorting fraction into the parts that compose it with sorting parameters that can be diversified with respect to the sorting parameters used in the first sorting step.

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